


A Sterek Short [Sterek Valentine Week - Bear/Bare]

by Thomaddicted



Category: Sterek - Fandom, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 09:11:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17763953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thomaddicted/pseuds/Thomaddicted
Summary: Written for #sterekvalentineweek Day 2 Prompt: Bear/Bare. Originally posted to Tumblr, but posted here as well.A short retelling of Sterek, and all the ways they try to ignore the fact that they belong together.Written with love, angst, and tried to keep as canon as possible.





	A Sterek Short [Sterek Valentine Week - Bear/Bare]

**Author's Note:**

> I was happy to add this to the "Sterek Valentine Week" collection. I am a sucker for words, and the idea of bear/bare had me trying to get all of the meanings/variations into this work. 
> 
> I have a couple more I will try and post as the week goes on.

Neither Derek Hale, nor Stiles Stilinski had ever quite imagined it would start this way.

 

It was strange when it happened, at first. In the woods. For some reason, Stiles had been terrified that a bear would attack he and Scott while they searched for the latter’s inhaler.

Instead, a tall handsome, brooding hunk stood before him, immediately causing Stiles to question his sexuality for the 10th time in as many seconds.

Stiles felt all sorts of uncomfortable questions turn inside of him. Even his usual defense of sarcasm was no where to be found.

Sitting in the squad car, trying to talk to Derek, Stiles found himself looking at the older man’s lips.

The most kissable, softest lips that he had ever seen.

He saw them again later, while he was being threatened, pushed up against the wall in his room, by that brooding man.

Stiles wanted nothing more than Derek to strip him bare, to rip all their clothes off and cash in his V-Card.

Derek unfortunately, had morals, which meant he kept out of Stiles' pants. Derek also hated him, so there was that.

Not that the particular knowledge of that fact kept Stiles away from Derek. Not that Derek had seemed to ever keep away from Stiles. 

Until one day Derek left. 

Left, a day after Stiles had come incredibly close to confessing some very unbearable feelings he had been holding onto for quite some time.

If Derek hadn't told Stiles to go, to save Scott, who knows what would have happened. 

When Derek left, Stiles buried those feelings, but they never went away. He had no way of knowing that Derek left, bearing his own feelings on his broad shoulders.

Nor did he know, Derek had planned to never see Stiles again.

 

If Derek had not been making his way through South America, killing everything that moved on the search for his sister, he may have never seen Stiles again.

That Stiles had been the one looking for him was little surprise, when Derek had seen the teen, he was not quite the skinny, pale, spastic boy he had once known.

Okay, he still wasn't the most graceful guy... but still. He came to find Derek. And he brought some interesting backup with him.

Stiles knew once he had seen Derek on that screen, and after apologizing profusely for his unintentionally comedic spit take to his fellow trainee, Stiles knew that Derek was innocent, and needed help.

The higher ups in the agency could hardly believe they were entertaining the almost unhinged ramblings of a trainee, however, here they were. 

Stiles bore the brunt of their disbelief and questioning, and had managed to talk his way into participating in the raid/rescue.

 

It was true that after he braved his way into the warehouse, rescuing Derek, Stiles accidentally shoot his toe off, then proceeded to pass out while Derek held him in a basket carry.

It was NOT lost on Derek that they looked like a bride and groom. Or groom and groom, as it would be for them. Derek immediately shook the thought from his head.

A day later, Stiles was posted up in a hospital bed, with Derek staring at him.

“Idiot.” Derek grumbled.

“Nice to see you too, Sourwolf.” Stiles grinned, loopy from the meds shooting through him.

Stiles moved up and pulled himself into a sitting position. Derek leaned over to help, and Stiles put his arms around Derek’s shoulders, holding on a few moments.

A series of images flashed through Derek's mind. A history of touches from Stiles, a gently touch of the hand, nudge, a grip, holding Derek afloat. 

Derek stiffened, his senses heightened at the onslaught of scents and feelings.

The smell of Stiles, as endorphins flooded him at the hug, and the quickening pace of his heartbeat. The whimper as Stiles squeezed him.

Breaking the hug, gently to protect Stiles’ feelings, Derek sat back down.

“You shouldn’t have come looking for me.” Derek pouted.

Stiles grinned. “I’ve done everything from fight Kanimas, and Alphas, Dread Doctors, and fucking ghost cowboys. You think I couldn’t handle a little…”

Stiles flew into a coughing fit, Derek immediately grabbed a glass of water, and patted Stiles on the back.

“Here.” Derek gave the glass to Stiles, who sipped it.

“Thank you.” He cleared his throat and drank the rest.

“I don’t get you Derek. You seem like you hate me, and then here you are helping me.” Stiles grumbled. “Here I am willing to take down a were-bear for you, and you just…”

Stiles flung his covers off of the bed, careful not to look at his bandaged toe.

“I’m here getting maimed for you, and you can’t even manage a simple fucking thank you.” Stiles got up, and headed away, limping to the bathroom.

Derek bit his lip, and averted his eyes, trying not to stare at Stiles exposed backside in the hospital gown. He may have licked his lips at the sight of the pale, bare backside.

Stiles disappeared into the bathroom, and Derek heaved a sigh. Stiles was right. But Derek didn’t want to give Stiles the idea that he had to come after him, and save him.

They had to have a talk, and set some boundaries.

 

The talk happened as they traveled back home. Deaton had contacted them, and let them know about the shitstorm headed to Beacon Hills, and Scott was going to need help.

The plan was originally to have Stiles back, his spark was going to give Scott a strength boost. That Derek was with them was an added bonus.

“You don’t have to come and rescue me.” Derek grumbled, as the plane flew them over from Virginia.

“Well, if I want to, and I can, then I will.” Stiles huffed back at Derek, clearly no longer afraid of, or intimidated by Grumpy Derek Hale.

“Stiles. You had your toe shot off, coming to rescue me.”

“Yes, Derek. I had my toe shot off. So what. You’re safe.”

“I would have been safe, even if you hadn’t come for me.” Derek folded his arms over his chest.

“Derek, in all the years I’ve known you, you’ve always needed help, and you never ask.” Stiles looked at Derek, fuming.

“You know, if you just asked for help, we would give it to you. In case you haven’t noticed….” Stiles paused, biting his lips. Literally biting his lips to keep his mouth shut.

Derek looked down at his own hands, chastised. “Thank you, Stiles. You don’t have to put yourself in harms way for me.”

Stiles folded his own arms, and stared straight ahead.

“If anything happened to you, I don’t think I could… I couldn’t bear it, getting that call…” Stiles held his breath, trying to control his tears.

“That’s how I feel, with you Stiles.” Derek stared ahead as well. “If you had gotten… if anything serious had happened to you…”

Derek looked away. He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I would never forgive myself, Stiles. Ever.”

Derek stiffened as he felt Stiles hand holding his own.

“Now you understand, why I had to come.” Stiles said softly.

No more was said on the matter. They got into Beacon Hills, and they kicked ass, and Stiles may, or may not have saved Derek, once, and in the end, they won.

After Stiles came home from Quantico, he joined back up with the pack, becoming Scott’s emissary.

 

Derek watched from the sidelines, happy to not have to be the Alpha, but still enjoying the respect of his mentor position in the pack.

As days went by, he learned to let others close, just not “in”, until one day, he realized, someone was already “in” him.

On Valentine’s day, Derek went home to his loft, and was immediately aware of the scent inside. 

Stiles had been there. Alone. 

He wondered why, since Stiles had been over before several times already, he would need to sneak in when Derek was away.

Derek followed the scent into his bedroom, and found sitting on his bed, a small plush teddy bear.

The bear was black, with brown paws, and was holding a heart which said simply: “Be Mine”, in a small, tight script.

Derek felt his heart leap into his throat, and his eyes water.

In the many Valentine’s days that plagued him, not once had he ever received so much as a card. Plus, the bear, with its black fur and green eyes, looked like Derek. 

That would NOT be something coincidental to Stiles. The heart said "Be Mine", which was a much more personal thing than "I love you", because, as Derek learned, love does fade. Wolves mate for life.

Being someone's "mine", meant being theirs "forever". 

Derek also took the time to consider the magical being that was Stiles.

Stiles, who for years, he had dismissed, as a young, mouthy punk. A burden. A bother. Someone who, despite his obvious attraction, Derek could push away.

Until Derek begged him to save his life, when he was poisoned with wolfsbane. Until Stiles tried valiantly to keep them afloat for 2 HOURS in a pool when a Kanima was after them.

Stiles, who when he was possessed by the Nogitsune, left a clue for Derek, communicating with HIM, instead of Scott, which would have made more sense.

Unless Stiles knew that he could trust Derek. Count on Derek. And didn’t Derek believe Stiles? Trust Stiles, eventually?

This bear, was Stiles, baring his feelings, putting himself on the line, in a way that he had only done with one other person in his life, (who, if Derek remembered, didn’t even want Stiles).

Derek lifted the bear from the bed, and pressed it to his nose. The scent of Stiles exploded through his senses.

He knew in that moment, maybe he had always known, that he wanted to tell Stiles yes, Yes. Yes, he would be his.

 

Stiles got the text, while he was getting into his apartment, ready to watch some monster movie, and order take out, in his own protest to Valentine’s day.

He had spent the better part of the day moving back and forth from complete confidence, and total embarrassment.

Leaving the plush for Derek had been a long time coming. He had held on to the damn thing for 3 years, dammit, and yet, he could never give it to Derek.

It wasn’t until the last Christmas party that Scott threw for them, that Stiles had really noticed something.

Derek had gotten more cuddly. He wasn’t as gruff, or as distant as he had been when Stiles knew him, though Derek might argue otherwise.

What cinched it for Stiles was when Derek was in the kitchen, washing dishes after everyone had left, Derek asked Stiles to help him with putting stuff away.

They spent the next 3 hours talking, and having coffee. If you added up all the time they talked all the years they knew each other, it wouldn’t even add up to three hours.

And here was Derek, sharing, talking, joking. Generally just being a great big cuddly Der-bear, like Stiles imagined that he could be, all this time.

It was something simple, but it was growth. It was an important step that Derek had taken in his journey.

There was something simple in the way they talked to each other. An easy back and forth that they hadn’t ever really had before, and it warmed Stiles’ heart.

Telling Derek how he felt had been a long time coming. Still, facing evil monsters and rabid demons was easy stuff. Confessing his feelings for Derek?

Well, he had almost done it once, maybe twice. But now… well, he did it, okay? The bear was his shot, and he took it.

If Derek was a gentleman, and not interested, then Stiles was sure Derek wouldn’t mention it and everyone would go about their lives. If Derek was interested?

Better to not think of that just yet.

Stiles’ phone went off with a text notification.

It was Derek.

“Thank you.”

Stiles felt himself flush. Was this good or bad?

“I’ve left my response for you in your room.”

Stiles started.

In his room? Like here? In the apartment?

Intriguing.

Creepy, but intriguing.

Stiles rose from the couch, and made his way up the staircase, then to his room.

He took a breath, keeping his hand on the door.

Derek could have very well left a nice “no thank you” note on his bed.

Maybe with chocolates, so Stiles could eat his disappointment.

Taking a deep breath, Stiles opened his door.

The room was lit softly, just a few unscented candles were lit, casting enough light to see inside the bedroom. Where Derek Hale was laying, on his side, head propped up by his arm.

Laying on Stiles' bed, completely naked, but with a large cardboard heart made out of red construction paper covering his groin.

The heart simply said, “Always.”


End file.
